John d



(NO Model.)

, J. D. PLANNAGAN.

FEED GOVERNOR FOR COTTON ems.

N0. 279,367. Patented June 12,1883.

INVENTOR mrmssm:

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Momno n ur, Washin ton. D, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN D. FLANNAGAN, OF KOSSE, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALETO B. V. SOWDERS, OF SAME PLACE.

FEED-GOVERNOR FOR COTTON-GINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 279,367, dated June 12, 1883. Application filed October 25, 1882. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JOHN D. FLANNAGAN, a citizen of the United States, re'sldmg at Kosse,

in the county of Limestone and State of Texa s 5 have invented a new and Improved Feed-Governor for Ootton-Gins, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates to that class of cottongins in which circular saws separate the cotton from the seed, bothbeing fed by suitable mechanism into the roll-box. WVhen cotton is fed upon the saws faster than they gin it, the

' accumulation is caused to roll over and over by the action of the saws, and when this roll increases beyond the capacity ofthe rollbox the gin cannot operate; and the object of my invention is to provide means whereby the rate of feeding will be automatically decreased when the cotton is fed into the roll-box faster than it is being ginned, and whereby the feed will befinally stopped when the roll increases to a certain limit, and will be again started when the rollis reduced to a size previously fixed upon, and: will be actuated to feed faster as the roll decreases in size.

To this end my invention consists in the con struction and combination ofparts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a portion of a cotton-gin showing my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section, partly in elevation, sl'iowin'g a portion of the feedingmeehanism.

A represents the saws operating between the ribs a upon the roll of cotton B. 1) represents the seed-board; E, the breast; F, the feedingapron, revolving as a band around the two apron-rollersf; and G is the feed-roller, which takes the cotton from the apron F and drops it into the roll-box b.

Thus far the description is of a common cot ton-gin, inwhich 0 represents the head-board, usually made as a rigid portion of the cylindrical wall of the roll-box b,- but I hinge this head-board, which is a slat extending across the roll-box, forming the side of the gin-mouth next to or over the saws at c, to the body of the gin, to swing vertically, so that its free edge will rest upon the roll 13. As this roll crum, which is the hinge c, to communicate V with pawl j by means of a cross-lever, e, fulcrumed at g, and a vertical lifting-bar, h, which carries a roller, 2', to operate upon the pawl j to raise and lower the same, so that said pawl j, which is hung upon a lever, A, may be engaged.with or disengaged from the ratchetwheel '21. Said pawl j is operated by means of the pitman Z, connecting said lever k with a crank, m, 011 the shaft of feed-roller G, to work the ratchet-wheel a, which is secured to the shaft ofone of the feed-belt rolls, f,-thus' actuating said belt to feed the cotton to the roller G, which carries it over and drops it into the rollbox. The lever 76 isprovided with several holes, 0, in which to insert the pin connecting it with the pit-man Z for the purpose of increasing or decreasing the angle of motion of said lever in order that it may draw its pawl 7' back far enough to engage one or more teeth of the ratchet-wheel n, and thus limit the extreme rate of feed, for, however the heightof the roller '1'.

may'vary, the pawl j cannot move a tooth more than it is itself moved by the lever is. To the lower end of the bar 71 is attached a spring, 1,

to which is hung a cord, q, that is wound upon a pin, 1-, to which it is secured. tapered at one end to be driven into a hole in the side of the gin, and is provided with a thumb-serewhead by means of whichthe cord (1 may be wound on it and the spring tightened. This spring acts to hold the bar h down, and by means of the levers a and d to also hold the head-board down, and when the governor and bar are at their lowest point the pawl j is allowed to take the greatest number of teeth of ratchet a; but when they are at their high est point said pawl rides upon the roller 2' and takes no teethl Between these two extremes there is a medium range, which is made to correspond to the usual capacity of the gin by means of the adjusting-holes 0 in lever 70, the adjustable fulcrum g, and the adjusting-holes s in bar h. If lever e be placed in alower hole 8, the head-board G will be carried lower, and will be operated by a smaller roll of cotton B, to eiiect the feed relative thereto, and if lever This pin is may be controlled to give more or less motion to the bar 71 and by means of the different holes 3 in said bar the field of motion may be raised or lowered. A spring-scale, 25, may be interposed between the spring 1) and the cord (1 to register the amount" of pressure on the governor.

Thus by the various devices described I am able to regulate the feed of cotton to a gin to the exact rate at which the machine is able to gin it under all the varying circumstances of sharp and dull saws, wet and dry, dirty and clean cotton, for the action of my governor is dependent directly upon the size of the roll of cotton to regulate its rate of feeding. "If the roll gets small, the saws are ginning faster than cotton is supplied, and immediately the feed increases. If the roll gets large, the saws are hampered and do not gin all the cotton that is fed in, and the rate of feed is checked automatically, thus utilizing the greatest possible capacity of the gin.

I am aware that cotton-gins are in use which operate the feeding mechanism by the varying size of the roll acting on a movable breast which transmits its motion to the regulator of the feeding device. Those gins act on the cotton that is'fed into'the' roll-box before it gets around to the saws, and every succeeding.

bunch of cotton and the spaces between cause the breast to fluctuate unnecessarily, because the saws would naturally use the time between lumps in ginning the lumps, thus maintaining a general equilibrium were it not for said fluctuations of the breast changing the feed. My governor is acted on by the roll in that are of its cylinder between the saws and the feedopening after the saws have acted on the roll. Thus if the sawsgin the cotton as fast as it is fed in, whether in lumps or otherwise, the remainder of the roll does not vary and my governor does not vary; but whenever the roll varies in size after being acted on by the saws, then the saws are not ginning at the same rate that the cotton is being fed in, and the rate of feeding should be gradually varied to meet the emergency. This my governor does effectively. It is not necessary that my head-board should be at the inlet of the gin, though there is where I place it for convenience in adapting it to gins already in use, and I would recommend that in making new gins this head-board C be placed as shown; but in order to conform to my invention it must be placed somewhere in the roll-box to be acted on by the roll after the saws have after acted on it and before the fresh cotton comes in contact with it. The action of the saws is to drive the roll up into this arch of the box-that is, the arch above the s ws, and between them and the mouth of the gin into which the cotton is fed, and it rests against the breast only when about to clog.

Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. The combination, with the roll-box of a cotton-gin, of a head-board fulcrumed to the box to swing within its arch to rest upon the roll in that are of its circumference which has passed the saws before new cotton is taken onto said roll, feeding mechanism, and means for transmitting the motion of said head-board, caused 'by the increasing or dii'ninishing of said roll to the feeding mechanism, whereby the feed of cotton into the gin will be accelerated when the roll diminishes, and retarded when the roll increases beyond a fixed size, as specified.

2. The combination, with the roll-box?) and saws A of a cotton-gin, of the head-board C, hinged at c, and provided with the arm d, the lever c, the adjustable fulcrum g, the bar I), the roller 1?, the pawl j, and its ratchet 11, sub stantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the hinged headboard C, levers d and (3, bar h, roller '4', and feeding-pawl j, of the fulcrum y, provided with a slot and a bolt therein, whereby the position of the fulcrum may be changed to vary the leverage, as specified, I V V V 4. The combination, with the hinged headboard'C, levers (Z and e, and theadjustable fulcrum of the bar h,'having several adjusting-holes, s, the roller 27, pivoted thereon, and the feeding-pawl j, as specified.

5. The combination, with the hinged headboard O, levers d and e, fulcrum bar 71, roller 2', and feeding-pawlj, of the spring 2, as and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination, with the bar I: and spring 1), of the tapering pin r, provided with a thumb-screw head, c'ordq, and means of connecting it with spring p, as. specified.

' 7. The combination, with the crank m on the shaft of roller G, the pitman l, the ratchet wheel 01. upon the shaft of one of the apronrollers f, the pawlj, engaging said wheel, and the lever It, provided with several adjustingholes, 0, and the connecting-pin of the rod Z, substantially as specified.

JOHN D. FLANNAG-AN.

W'itnesses WV. X; STEVENS, SOLON C. Knnou; 

